BEMIDJI – The competitive spring sports seasons at Bemidji High School officially begin today when the Lumberjacks boys and girls track and field teams join nine other squads for the annual Lions Club Invitational at the Bemidji State University Gillett Recreation and Fitness Center.

The action will begin at 1 p.m. with the girls high jump and shot put, the boys long jump and pole vault and the 4x800 relay races.

The Lions Invitational is the first of three indoor meets scheduled for the Gillett Recreation and Fitness Center. On Tuesday the facility will stage the Paul Bunyan Invitational and on April 2 many of the area’s smaller schools will compete in the Little Amik.

The Lumberjacks girls and boys teams will be shorthanded today and Tuesday because of the start of spring break.

The boys team will be well represented in the sprints. Brady Schmidt, Andrew Steffes, Tyler Kroening, Wyatt Yartz, A.J. Jirik, Will Annette, Alex Schussman, Clayton Dickenson and Aaron Hulsebus will run in the 60-meter dash.

Nate Gubbels will run the 60 hurdles while Logan Hatfield and Anthony Youso will compete in the 400 and Payton Christopherson, Kenner Gudmundson, Youso and Elias Hendrickson are scheduled to run in the 800.

Chris Madsen, Sam Carlson and Billy Freyholtz will run the mile.

The field events find Anderson competing in the high jump, Hatfield, Schmidt, Annette and Yartz in the long jump and Schussman, Dickenson, Christopherson, Andersen, Nate Gubbels and Maxwell in the triple jump.

Steffes and Jirik will pole vault and Hulsebus, Sam Bakke, Joe Krotzer and Gabe Flaherty will compete in the shot put.

Racing in the 4x800 and 4x400 relays will be Carlson, Nick Gubbels, Freyholtz, Madsen, Hendrickson, Nelson, Christopherson and Gudmundson.